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Kevin Keatts Postgame Press Conference After William & Mary Victory: BULLETED

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1 year ago

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NC State Men’s Basketball head coach Kevin Keatts met with the media tonight after the Wolfpack’s 85-64 victory over William & Mary 85-64. You can watch it here, or check out a BULLETED breakdown below.

  • We did some really good things.
    • What I’m really proud of is 18 assists on 31 made field goals.
      • Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner are really playing unselfish basketball.
        • When you look at the 2 of those guys, they had 13 assists, and I think this was a career high for Terquavion.
        • He sacrificed a little bit in scoring, but what’s happening in front of us is that we’re starting to see a little bit more of a complete player.
    • Our energy was good once we got going.
    • Our bench was incredible.
      • Some guys came in and did a really good job.
    • It was a good win, and we move on.
  • The way I look at it right now, I’ve got 6 starters.
    • For this game, I wanted to go with DJ Burns over Dusan Mahorcic, and both of those guys are going to end up playing half the game anyway.
    • It’s just a matter of who starts and who I sub first.
    • I’m getting away from all the superstitious stuff.
  • It’s the reality of it [not being in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge]. Someone’s not going to be in it. We’re just not in it, and it didn’t bother me at all.
    • I’m rooting for our conference to do well, and I can’t wait to get out of here and check the scores.
    • I know we started off 2-0.
    • I don’t know who won today, but I will watch some of the games.
    • It’s not about that. When you’re playing against another conference, all your excitement is just for our other teams to do well.
  • [How they would have done if they were in it this year] Well, I will say this…since I’ve been here, we’ve been fortunate enough to be 3-1 in the Challenge, but we won’t know.
    • We’re not in it. I’m rooting for every ACC team in the next 2 or 3 days.
  • We’re doing some good things. Do I think we still have a long way to go in certain areas? Absolutely.
    • It’s early. It’s a little bit early for a conference game, but the reality of it is that we have to play on Friday.
    • We’ve grown in the last 2 or 3 weeks. We’ve gotten better.
    • The Bahamas helped us, playing 3 really good teams back-to-back.
    • I like some of the things we’re doing.
    • We’re going to take the next couple of days to try to get better and get ready for Pitt.
  • He’s [Casey Morsell] been working.
    • I think it’s the 2nd time this year that he’s made 6 three-pointers, and you love to see a kid who puts in the work and works on those shots every day for it to go in.
    • That’s added a really big dimension to our offense.
    • I don’t think he ever thought he was a defensive guy.
      • That’s probably why he’s here.
      • He’s a great kid who works hard. He’s turning into a great 2-way player.
  • I knew I was getting an energy guy [Dusan Mahorcic].
    • He’s all about what NC State’s about. He’s a hard-head guy.
    • He brings it every day. He’s the type of guy you cheer for.
    • He’s going to get on the floor, he’s going to block a shot, and he’s going to jump up and down.
    • He’s tailor-made for what our program’s about.
  • If I were you, I wouldn’t challenge him on that [that Mahorcic describes his game as tough]. I don’t know if you’re ready for that.

Box Score

ACCDN Highlight Reel & Condensed Game

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Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James is a Priority for NC State

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1 hour ago

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April 19, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) is a priority for NC State, according to a source.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

NC State already hosted Indiana State Transfer Guard Ryan Conwell last week, and while the Wolfpack coaches like both players, from what I’m hearing, James would be their preference.

NC State hasn’t had James in for a visit, but that could happen soon.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Casey Morsell is the 4th Player in NCAA History to Start 41 Games in a Season

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7 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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NC State Guard Casey Morsell started 41 games for the Wolfpack this season, becoming the 4th player in NCAA history to do so.

 

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Prior to this season, the record for most games started in a single season in NC State history was 37, with three Wolfpack players doing so: Lorenzo Brown, Richard Howell, CJ Williams.

Morsell now sits atop the list, and a fellow teammate, DJ Burns ranks second, with 40 games started this season.

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NC State Basketball

Georgetown Transfer Dontrez Styles Commits to NC State!

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17 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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Georgetown Forward Transfer Dontrez Styles (6’6″/212) has committed to NC State!

Styles was the 2nd leading scorer for Georgetown this season, averaging 12.8 points per game, while grabbing 5.8 boards. He shot 36.8% from three.

Originally, Sytles was a consensus 4-Star prospect in UNC’s 2021 recruiting class. 247Sports ranked him as the #62 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina, playing for Kinston High School.

After two seasons with the Tar Heels, Styles entered the Portal, and took an Official Visit to NC State and Georgetown, and ultimately chose the Hoyas.

ON3 ranks Styles as the #104 overall player in the Portal.

With his final year of eligibility, Styles’ made the right choice this time.

NC State now has 2 scholarships remaining after Styles’ commitment.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Forward Katie Peneueta Enters the Transfer Portal

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2 days ago

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April 17, 2024

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NC State Forward Katie Peneueta is entering the Transfer Portal.

Peneueta transferred to NC State last offseason from Sacramento State, where she averaged 8.4 points, shooting 45.5% from three.

In her one year at NC State, Peneueta only played 8 games for the Wolfpack, battling injuries throughout the year. Peneueta has 1 year of eligibility.

With Peneueta entering the Portal, NC State now has 3 scholarships available heading into the 2024-25 season.

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